Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions—like grief. And love. He thinks he’s defective. His family knows better—that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.

As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can’t turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn’t go as planned. Esme’s lessons in love seem to be working…but only on herself. She’s hopelessly smitten with a man who’s convinced he can never return her affection.

With Esme’s time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he’s been wrong all along. And there’s more than one way to love.

| Review |

The Bride Test is Helen Hoang’s follow up to last years instant hit, The Kiss Quotient. And I can’t help but wonder – is there a blogger out there who didn’t have this on their ‘Most Anticipated’ list for 2019? I know it was on mine! And for that reason…it makes this review so hard to write. There were parts of this book that I loved even more than its predecessor. The interactions between Khai and Quan were pure gold, and when you added Michael to the mix (Michael – sigh,) they were even more fun! I love the premise of this story – Khai’s mother is very aware of his lack of game with the ladies, but that doesn’t stop her from wanting him to get married. So she takes matters into her own hands and goes to Vietnam to find him a bride. Unfortunately, this is where the fun stops for me.

This was a heroine I was never going to get on board with. Esmeralda comes to the United States with very little in the way of possessions, but she has a very big secret. I won’t spoil it, but for this to work and for me to be OK with it as a reader, I needed to feel like this secret was an essential part of the book. That if this was not the case, this book just wouldn’t work. I never felt that way. But I will tell you that aside from that, I loved this heroine and think this story would have been so much better without her secret. She was a hard worker and though she knew nothing about Autism, Khai’s abruptness and personality traits were something she accepted as part of who he was. It was clear she adored her family and would do anything for them, and she was desperate to help them. As for Khai, I loved his character. The way he saw himself broke my heart, and it killed me that he kept selling himself so short. His character arc and emotional turmoil were my favorite things about this story. The fact that he was unable to recognize that the things he did for people was because he loved them nearly broke me. The author painted such a vivid picture of this character, and I adored him.

Aside from Quan and his mom, the rest of Khai’s family played a big role in this story, and I loved their times together. Their interactions were so authentic and fun, and they just made this story even better.

As for the end of this story…I felt like I was missing something. I didn’t care for the way it all played out; I feel like it was an attempt at being ‘feminist’ because…what? The princess saves herself in this one? Except she didn’t, because it was another man who did that. It felt contrived and half-hearted, and I was left so disappointed. I was also sad to see that (highlight for spoiler) four years had passed in the epilogue and Esmeralda and Khai still weren’t married. Why? I just don’t get it. I understand why they didn’t get married at the end scene in the book because that would have been a rush when there was a choice, but why let four years pass when you were convinced you were ready before?

Overall, I think there were some amazing elements to The Bride Test, and even with my issues, I would still recommend it. While I was left feeling disappointed, I will be continuing with this series; this just feels like a blip in the road. Khai is someone I won’t soon forget. His character was not only the highlight of this book, but one of the best I’ve read this year.

Oh bummer. Sorry this one didn’t end up how you wanted. I really enjoyed it, but I got lost in the writing. I think some major stuff could have went down and I still would have rated it high because I was lost in it.

It was definitely a gripping book. I wish I could have gotten past those things, but they just bothered me too much. I loved it anyway. I was just left wanting a bit more. I’m glad you loved it so much!

I still need to read Kiss Quotient. I know… behind. LOL I am leery when ‘big secrets’ are tossed into the conflict. Like you, I feel if you’re going to bother then make it a true issue and not something that feels contrived. Ha, the token feminist message…sigh. Just write your story. 🙂 Glad there was a ton to love about it since you really were wanting this one.

Oh my gosh. the token feminist message usually sends the exact opposite message it’s supposed to convey, IMO. Oh, you are going to LOVE The Kiss Quotient, Sophia. I can’t wait until you get a chance to read it.

I think I would have some of the same issues that you did with this book. Before I consider giving this one a try, however, it looks like I’ll have to read Kiss Quotient. I’ve heard such great things about the first book!

I need to get to my ARC of this one. There just never seems to be enough time. It sounds like this one had some really great elements, especially Khai’s character, even if it had a few others that fell short. Great review!